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Life before Facebook? Can't recall

By Leigh Hornbeck
| on February 4, 2014

Photo: Matt Sayles

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FILE - In this Dec. 29, 2011 file photo, Woody Allen, director of the film, "Midnight in Paris," is photographed during an interview in Beverly Hills, Calif. Dylan Farrow, the adopted daughter of Allen and Mia Farrow, penned an emotional open letter, accusing Hollywood of callously lionizing Allen, who she claims abused her. The letter revived in stunning detail an allegation more than two decades old. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File) ORG XMIT: NYET206 less

FILE - In this Dec. 29, 2011 file photo, Woody Allen, director of the film, "Midnight in Paris," is photographed during an interview in Beverly Hills, Calif. Dylan Farrow, the adopted daughter of Allen and Mia ... more

Photo: Matt Sayles

Life before Facebook? Can't recall

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Roll the nostaliga reel: Facebook is 10 years old. The social networking site is producing montages for Facebook users that highlight the first photographs posted and the status updates that got the most "likes." Trudi Shaffer, a producer for timesunion.com, writes in On the Edge: "I joined in the summer of 2004, right before I went to college. My high school friends and I quickly moved to the new site from blogging platforms like LiveJournal and Xanga, and we loved it. Facebook — then thefacebook.com — made it easy for us to stay in touch after we left for school. It even helped us get settled on our new campuses. I got to know quite a few people on Facebook before meeting them in person, and I owe some of my lasting friendships to the site. It was a lot smaller back then, but Facebook was still an integral part of my college experience. It's changed a lot over the last 10 years — I'll never forget the day my mother joined! — but it continues to be a big part of my life, both personally and professionally."

Feedback about Facebook is varied — some love it; others, like Erica, who wrote in response to Trudi's post, don't: "I was on for a short while, but ever since I walked away, guess what? I hear from friends and family more often. Since they know I'm not on FB, they make sure to call me with all the news and I get the full story, not just a little blurb."

James Frederick wrote, "I think it's about time we had an intervention with Facebook. "Facebook, you really have changed and we just don't like you the way we used to. It's always about you; isn't it? I mean, this is supposed to be MY 'wall.'"

Dylan Farrow's open letter in the New York Times on Sunday was the first time Farrow has publicly addressed the sexual molestation allegations that surfaced 20 years ago as Allen and Dylan Farrow's mother, Mia Farrow, were separating. The letter laid out a devastating indictment of her adoptive father in graphic detail. On Sunday, his spokesperson said Allen had read the letter and "found it untrue and disgraceful." Allen was never charged in 1993 after a lengthy investigation in Connecticut. While many feel Allen is a sexual predator, others say he was the victim of a stunt hatched by Mia Farrow when she discovered his affair with her daughter, Soon-Yi Previn. Dylan Farrow's letter reignites the debate. Allen is expected to respond further. After numerous awards and nominations over his long career, Allen was nominated for an Oscar this year for best original screenplay for "Blue Jasmine." His career was honored earlier this year at the Golden Globe awards.

We asked readers, if you are a fan of Woody Allen, does the letter make you less likely to watch a Woody Allen movie?